Dramatic improvement in tamariki health indicator

National target met after
dramatic improvement in tamariki health indicator

Manaakitanga, determination and teamwork are behind the
dramatic improvement of a Māori health indicator which has
led to a national target being met for the first time, says
the head of BOPDHB Māori Health Gains and Development.

In a little over 18 months the number of Bay of Plenty
Māori pre-schoolers enrolled for free dental health
services has risen by over 2,300. That has resulted in a
jump from 59% of the eligible population enrolled to 96%,
exceeding the national target.

“A number of
approaches had been tried but the indicator had not really
moved,” said Bay of Plenty District Health Board (BOPDHB)
General Manager Māori Health Gains and Development Tricia
Keelan. “It was at 59% in March 2017 but had been lower
before and the team set about changing that.”

The
BOPDHB’s Good to Great Team in Māori Health Gain and
Development, working closely with the Community Health 4
Kids team, have been largely credited for the success. Key
strategies employed included manaakitanga (mana enhancing
interaction), use of the Institute for Healthcare
Improvement (IHI) change methodology, data quality
improvements, and whanaungatanga (relationships) and contact
with parents of pre-schoolers.

“It has been a
Māori-led collaborative approach, where determination,
persistence and mahitahi have paid off,” said Tricia, who
added that the success was just the beginning.

“The
improvement has highlighted issues of unmet need in terms of
oral health,” she said. “Enrolment is one thing but we
are aiming for Toi Ora, and, that means supporting and
empowering oranga in oral health and also ensuring timely
assessment and treatment. Untreated oral health issues go on
to affect children long term if not addressed.”

“Oranga niho - healthy baby teeth are important, not
only for chewing food - they contribute to mauri ora, wairua
ora, kōrero and oranga. The baby teeth also hold spaces
for, and guide, the position of adult teeth.”

Tricia
said the success had benefits for all children in te Moana a
Toi as well.

“Yes we achieved improvement in Māori
pre-school enrolment but through this work we improved for
non-Māori too. Enrolment for the Total Population of
pre-schoolers in BOPDHB is now above the national target of
95%.”

She added that the task ahead of the team now
was to replicate this success in other areas and develop a
new Te Toi Ahorangi Strategy.

“This is just the
beginning as we build on this work for improvement with
other Māori health indicators such as breast screening,
breast feeding and vaccinations.”

“We are
currently developing our Te Toi Ahorangi strategy for te
Moana a Toi (the Bay of Plenty). We are looking forward to
being Toi Ora driven as we work to influence waiora, whānau
ora and mauri ora for our tamariki and their whānau.”

Phone 0800 TALKTEETH (0800 825 583) or 0800 935 5543 to
make an appointment to have your child’s teeth checked.
For more details see www.bopdhb.govt.nz and search Talk
Teeth.

In response to the challenges facing Scoop and the media industry we’ve instituted an Ethical Paywall to keep the news freely available to the public.
People who use Scoop for work need to be licensed through a ScoopPro subscription under this model, they also get access to exclusive news tools.

Given the historical and socio-cultural context from which Prynne's poetry emerged, a panoptical perspective on what his poems might be trying to say is indispensable to its comprehension. With some sequences this can be an exceptionally demanding challenge, requiring a great deal of perseverance, concentration, and endurance. More>>

The Cage by Lloyd Jones, This Mortal Boy by Fiona Kidman, All This By Chance by Vincent O’Sullivan, and The New Ships by Kate Duignan are shortlisted for the $53,000 Acorn Foundation Fiction Prize. More>>